New York, 19 September 2026
On the first day of his stay in New York, United States of America, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, took part in an inspiring dialogue, “Between Here and Home,” with young members of the Albanian diaspora in America, organized by three Albanian-American youth groups: ZANI, F’Oda, and the Columbia University Albanian Society. In addition to members of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, the delegation also includes Ardita Sinani, Mayor of Presheva, and Member of Parliament Shaip Kamberi.
During the conversation with the young participants, Prime Minister Kurti addressed a wide range of topics. He spoke to the audience about Kosovo’s economic achievements, including economic growth of 5.4% in the first quarter of this year, as well as the decline in unemployment from 26% to 10% during his tenure. At the same time, Prime Minister Kurti spoke with the participants about the need for further improvements in the integrity and performance of Kosovo’s judicial system, which continues to be subject to criticism in international reports, including those of the European Commission.
Prime Minister Kurti also emphasized the need for today’s young people to contribute to strengthening gender equality and promoting cooperation among Albanians across all countries of the Western Balkans, as well as around the world.
Addressing the 16 September judgment in the case of the four KLA leaders, Prime Minister Kurti reiterated the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo to provide support, in every possible way and with all means at its disposal, with the aim of correcting the verdict of the Specialist Chambers, which he described as legally and morally unjust and historically and factually inaccurate.
He also emphasized the need to agree on a state strategy for responding as appropriately and effectively as possible to the first-instance verdict, both by supporting the teams before the appellate instances and at the diplomatic level. In this regard, the Prime Minister pledged that, in cooperation with Kosovo’s international allies, he would engage intensively in defending Kosovo’s liberation war against Serbia’s propaganda and, at the same time, in shedding light on Serbia’s massacres and other crimes committed in Kosovo, which, more than 27 years after the end of the war, the official authorities in Belgrade are still attempting to conceal.
